Living in Jyväskylä,Finland. I'm an artist, a writer, and a father.
I also work in a funky little bar.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

random photos from the cabin

Summer is here, Hanna is on maternity leave, and the bar is on summer hours, so we have time to head to the mökki (cabin) if I can manage to convince a very pregnant lady to head up there. Now and then I have the presence of mind to take some photos.

My in-laws like to have assorted nesting boxes for the use of birds and flying squirrels in the yard, so we have tend to have plenty of opportunity to observe the smaller forms of wildlife that are to be found here in Finland.

This particular nesting box is meant for the telkkä which is goldeneye in English.

The goldeneye is a circumpolar taiga species, which can be found in North America, Scandinavia, and Russia. To some extent they can also be found in Germany, Poland, and Great Britain. 60% of the world's goldeneye population nests in Finland.

A pair of goldeneye habitually nests in the box that the in-laws have provided for them and they usually manage to hatch a decent-sized bunch of ducklings. Unfortunately they weren't so successful this year.

It would appear that the Eurasian red squirrels of the area managed to rob the nest. Eggshells were found in various locations around the yard. Was there a battle for the nesting box or were the squirrels just plain sneaky? Since there were no witnesses, I guess we'll never know the truth.

Kissankäpälä aka Stoloniferous Pussytoes aka Mountain Everlasting (Antennaria dioica). This particular flower is found in northern climes, but its range in North America is limited to Alaska. The are several other types of pussytoes that can be found throughout the rest of North America.

A bit of local scenery as seen from the boat.

Trolling. As far as angling on Lappajärvi goes, I've been skunked this year. I'll take anything at this point - a large perch, a nice kuha (closely related to the North American Walleye), a trout. Even a pike would be welcome at this point.

We're heading back to the cabin today. My next shift is on Saturday night. Hopefully the fish and the weather cooperate.